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Despite the prevalence of unsafe behaviors on construction sites, limited attention has been paid to why and when some individuals on construction crews imitate their coworkers' unsafe behaviors. This research proposes a theoretical model wherein coworkers' unsafe behaviors are transmitted to other individuals through two pathways: safety silence and role stress, which includes role conflict and role ambiguity. Furthermore, the psychological contract of safety acts as a boundary condition. Empirical data were collected using a questionnaire administered to 498 Chinese construction workers and were analyzed using structural equation modeling and hierarchical linear regression. The results indicated that individuals were more prone to violate safety rules when witnessing coworkers' unsafe behaviors. These behaviors indirectly affected individuals through safety silence and role conflict. The psychological contract of safety could mitigate the adverse effect of coworkers' unsafe behaviors on individual safety violations and role stress. The findings contribute to the existing body of knowledge by offering a deep understanding of construction workers' responses toward unsafe behaviors. Practically, this research will assist managers in developing appropriate strategies for preventing the spread of unsafe behaviors within construction crews. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In increasingly ambiguous work contexts, advice-seeking and task crafting behaviors are becoming more significant than ever before. Drawing on the uncertainty reduction theory, this study examined how role ambiguity would affect advice-seeking and task crafting. We also investigated whether a proactive personality would moderate the effects based on the capacity–willingness–opportunity model. The results, based on a two-wave design with a sample of 160 employees in South Korea, revealed that role ambiguity did not affect advice-seeking and task crafting directly. However, it was found that, as role ambiguity increased, employees with proactive personality became more involved in advice-seeking and task crafting. These findings indicate that role ambiguity serves as an opportunity for proactive employees who have the capacity and willingness to seek advice and craft tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Events tend to be more stressful for those who are emotionally unstable or who are anxious than for others. In the current study, the sources of stress among Chennai-area IT workers are described. 120 of the 140 employees that received questionnaires were fully completed when the researcher contacted them, out of the total 140. The sample size is therefore 120. Also calculated are the mean, standard deviation, and correlation. It has been discovered that the IT employees have similar views on role overload, role ambiguity, role conflict, and responsibility for people. They also have similar views on low involvement, bad peer relationships, intrinsic undernourishment, and demanding working conditions. Numerous studies indicate that owning a pet might help lessen health issues exacerbated by stress, such as heart disease and high blood pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Work stress is a critical phenomenon in the development of human capital. Work stress that is managed regularly will be able to increase family well-being. Although this issue has been widely studied, the role of work stress as an important predictor variable for family well-being is often neglected in the literature of work stress management in organizations. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the relationship between work stress and family well-being. A survey method was used to collect 160 data from employees in a public agency, Malaysia. Findings using SmartPLS software produced three main findings. First, role ambiguity has a significant relationship with family well-being. Second, role conflict has a significant relationship with family well-being. Third, role burden has a significant relationship with family well-being. This situation shows that the ability of employees to handle work stress prudently will help them balance work and family matters in the organization studied. Next, this study also presents the discussion, implications and conclusions of the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The employee behavior literature is very much dominated by studies on "good" or "positive" behaviors, but relatively little has been researched on the negative attitudes and behaviors of people within the workplace, in particular, job dissatisfaction and counterproductive work behavior (CWB). Therefore, the present study is intended to (1) investigate the influence of job stressors (i.e., role overload, role conflict, role ambiguity, and organizational constraints) on job dissatisfaction among university staff and (2) examine the influence of job dissatisfaction on university staff's CWB. Data was gathered through 266 questionnaires and tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling. The results revealed that organizational constraints, role overload, and role ambiguity are significant stressors that increase job dissatisfaction, which in turn, increase CWB. Thus, the findings highlight the vital role of specific job stressors (i.e., role overload, role ambiguity, and organizational constraints) in causing job dissatisfaction and CWB among university staff. The findings contribute to the stressor-emotion model and Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teachers' work roles and responsibilities have changed dramatically because of the COVID-19 pandemic. These unprecedented changes have the potential to generate role stress and burnout and reduce teachers' job satisfaction. This study investigated the serial relationship between perceived vulnerability to disease, role stress, burnout, and teaching satisfaction. It was hypothesised that individuals who perceive themselves to be at high risk of contracting COVID-19 would report high role conflict and ambiguity in the workplace, which would in turn lead to high levels of burnout and low satisfaction with teaching. Participants were schoolteachers (N = 355) who completed the Perceived Vulnerability to Disease Questionnaire, the Role Orientation Questionnaire, the Maslach Burnout Inventory, and the Teaching Satisfaction Scale. Path analysis confirmed that perceived vulnerability to disease was associated with role conflict and ambiguity, which was in turn associated with emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, and low teaching satisfaction. Teachers who appraised themselves as being more vulnerable to contracting COVID-19 experienced greater role stress, which was associated with high levels of burnout and low teaching satisfaction. This study highlights that threat appraisals related to contracting COVID-19 represent an additional job demand and this needs to be matched by job resources that can facilitate coping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study attempted to investigate the role of job satisfaction in predicting employee performance in the banking sector of Bahrain. The study also tested the moderating role of Role ambiguity on the relationship between job satisfaction and employee performance. Through using the self-administered questionnaire technique, the present study assessed the association between job satisfaction and role ambiguity towards the performance of technical workers in the Banking sector of Bahrain. The study found that the job satisfaction of technical workers has a significant relationship with employee performance. This suggests the employees who are satisfied with the work can improve their overall performance. Furthermore, the study also found that job role ambiguity negatively moderates the relationship between job satisfaction and employee performance. The study offers details on the results and discussion to help the banking sector in Bahrain understand how job satisfaction and role ambiguity can be managed for the performance of the technical workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research suggests that adult attention related disorders and stress cost the US economy approximately $400 billion of lost productivity per annum. This study examines the mediating influence of role stress (RS) on the relationship between adult attention deficit (AAD) and the operational effectiveness of project managers (OEPM). One hundred and twenty actively employed business graduate students each had the opportunity to be a project manager within a project team. Each team member rated the others on their OEPM, completed a self-report measure of RS, and identified a close associate who completed an observer version of the Brown Attention Deficit Scale. Product moment correlations were used to test the hypotheses that AAD, RS and OEPM were associated, and both the Hayes Process and Sobel tests were used to test the hypothesis that RS mediates the relationship between AAD and OEPM. AAD has a positive association with RS and a negative association with OEPM. RS has a negative association with OEPM. RS partially mediates the relationship between AAD and OEPM. Organizations wanting to ensure timely and successful completion of projects need to be aware of the constraining influence of AAD on OEPM and the mediating influence of RS. Interventions and resources that assist disordered project managers to better manage attention challenges, role stress, and the operational aspects of project management may help retain the creative benefits of the disorder while managing the associated operational challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Understanding the challenges faced by newly credentialed athletic trainers (ATs) as they transition into clinical practice could assist employers and professional programs in developing initiatives to enhance this transition. Objective: To explore the challenges faced by newly credentialed ATs during their transition from student to autonomous practitioner. Design: Qualitative study. Setting: Individual phone interviews. Patients or Other Participants: A total of 34 ATs certified between January and September 2013 participated in this study (18 women, 16 men; age = 24 ± 2 years; work settings = college, secondary school, clinic, and other). Data saturation guided the number of participants. Data Collection and Analysis: An interview guide was used. All interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed via phenomenologic reduction, with data coded for common themes and subthemes. Trustworthiness was established via intercoder reliability, member checks, and peer review. Results: Initially, participants had difficulty making decisions independently. However, making decisions and receiving positive feedback helped them develop confidence. Communication with coaches and parents was challenging, especially for those in the secondary school setting. Participants also experienced role ambiguity, as they were unsure of basic organizational and administrative structures and expectations. Mentor inaccessibility was the final challenge described by respondents. In particular, those in the secondary school setting and with part-time employment felt they did not have a supervisor or mentor whom they could contact for support and guidance. Conclusions: Professional programs should educate students on potential challenges to help them understand what they might encounter during the transition to clinical practice. Employers should provide clear expectations and job descriptions to alleviate some of the stress and role ambiguity. If a mentor is not provided by the employer, the newly credentialed AT should seek one to assist during the transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Workplace thriving is a psychological state that promotes employee health and development. In addition to presenting a useful instrument that captures the nature of a thriving work life in China, the purpose of this paper is to investigate important factors that influence one's thriving status within this national context. Design/methodology/approach: Using diverse approaches across different samples, Study 1 contextualized the content of a workplace thriving scale (WTS) to fit the Chinese context. Study 2 tested the effects of learning goal orientation, exploration at work and role ambiguity on workplace thriving, employing a mediation model. As a supplement, Study 3 examined the test–retest reliability of workplace thriving. Findings: Study 1 confirmed that in the Chinese setting, workplace thriving is a higher order construct represented by both a sense of learning and a sense of vitality. Study 2 found that learning goal orientation and exploration at work fostered thriving, while role ambiguity reduced thriving. Also, exploration mediated the relationship between learning goal orientation and thriving. Study 3 verified that the WTS was reliable over time in the Chinese setting, further increasing the reliability of results from Studies 1 and 2. Originality/value: By rigorously and formally contextualizing the concept/construct of workplace thriving in China, this paper is informative for future research on thriving at work in Eastern cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two different forms of ambiguity have been hallmarks of several major conflicts over the past two decades: tactical and political. These two forms of ambiguity interact differently with strategy. The first interferes with the internal logic of strategy itself, whereas the second inhibits the political choice in favor of practicing strategy, but does not inhibit strategy itself. The strategic response to political ambiguity is military force, which still works in such contexts. Any inhibitions against strategy in a politically ambiguous context are political, rather than strategic. Yet, even political objections can be minimized by relying on the West's own ambiguous forces to respond to a Russian ambiguous invasion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the impact of role ambiguity and role conflict which emerge from job design on thriving levels of employees. Based on job demands-resources theory and socially embedded model of thriving at work, a research model was established and tested with data collected from 393 participants by using structural equation modelling. The results show while there is strong evidence that role ambiguity influence both dimensions of thriving at work, role conflict was found to have a significant effect only on vitality. The results support the hypothesis that role ambiguity impedes employee psychological health and hampers employee concentration on tasks, and in turn decrease vitality and learning. Whereas, role conflict has implications for affective processes, however, it may have positively contribute for cognitive processes -needs further evidence-. As a result, this study contributes to thriving at work in Turkish literature, supporting job demandsresources model and socially embedded model thriving at work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Objective: To examine the consistency of applying the Nashef et al (2012) criteria to classify sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP). Methods: We reviewed cases from the North American SUDEP Registry (n = 250) and Medical Examiner Offices (n = 1301: 698 Maryland, 457 New York City, 146 San Diego). Two epileptologists with expertise in SUDEP and epilepsy‐related mortality independently reviewed medical records, scene investigation, autopsy, and toxicology and assigned a SUDEP class. Results: Major areas of disagreement arose between adjudicators concerned differentiating (1) Definite SUDEP Plus Comorbidity from Possible SUDEP and (2) Resuscitated (Near) SUDEP from SUDEP. In many cases, distinguishing between contributing and competing causes of death when trying to classify Definite SUDEP Plus Comorbidity versus Possible SUDEP is ambiguous and relies on judgement. Similarly, determining if an intervention was lifesaving or not (Resuscitated SUDEP or Not SUDEP), or if resuscitation merely delayed SUDEP (Resuscitated SUDEP or SUDEP) is often a judgement call and can differ between experienced adjudicators. Given these persisting ambiguities, we propose more explicit criteria for distinguishing these categories. Significance: Accurate and consistent classification of cause of death among individuals with epilepsy remains a dire public health concern. SUDEP is likely underestimated in national health statistics. Greater standardization of criteria among epilepsy researchers, medical examiners, and epidemiologists to determine cause and classify death will lead to more accurate tracking of SUDEP and other epilepsy‐related mortalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research paper explores the turnover intention among manufacturing industry employees in Malaysia. Four variables were studied: role overload, role ambiguity, role conflict, and work-family conflict. The survey results collected from 153 employees from manufacturing companies in Malaysia. The analysis been obtained via SEM-PLS. Total four hyphotheses were tested. Positive results obtained for role overloaded towards turnover intention. Negative results obtained for role ambiguity, role conflict, and work-family conflict. Based on the findings all the manufacturing recognize importance of staff retention for superior value for an organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reform of the judiciaries of several countries have created a new role for judges, a managerial role, in which judges assume new management responsibilities. This new role is different from the traditional one which focused on judicial tasks, and has generated conflict and ambiguity in the work of judges. This study aims to identify and discuss the conflicts and ambiguities between the judicial and administrative roles performed by Portuguese judges. The research took place in Portugal over the period between 2013 and 2014, and data was collected from in-depth interviews with 12 judges. The research identifies several areas of role conflict and ambiguity in the judges' work. The main conflicts are: incompatibility between the carrying out of judicial and management activities; high workload and insufficient and unmotivated administrative staff; the need to maintain both productivity and judicial quality; and the great responsibility of the position but poor remuneration. The main ambiguities reported are: the formal relationship between judges and administrative officials; the judge's function in the process of court planning; the criteria for the distribution of judicial proceedings among judges; and the criteria to evaluate judges' performance. These results are discussed and a research agenda is suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Work-related stressors, including role ambiguity and role conflict, are related to psychological maladjustment and mental ill-health. However, to date, the role of personal resources such as emotionregulation ability (ERA) in the prediction of mental health indicators has not been addressed. Aims To examine whether ERA would contribute to explaining teachers' depression, anxiety and stress symptoms beyond role ambiguity and role conflict. Methods We carried out a cross-sectional questionnaire survey. We used a correlation matrix and hierarchical regression models to analyse the data. Results Three hundred and thirty-six Spanish teachers (185 female) from several grade levels completed the surveys (40% response rate). Role ambiguity and role conflict were positively related to depression, anxiety and stress symptoms. ERA was negatively related to teachers' scores on depressive, anxious and stress symptoms, with predictive power above the main effects of role ambiguity and role conflict. An interaction between role ambiguity and ERA was also significant in predicting depression. Conclusions Our study provides preliminary evidence suggesting the development of integrative models considering work-related stressors along with personal resources such as ERA aiming to prevent teachers' mental ill-health. Future studies should examine the influence of ERA on psychological symptoms using longitudinal designs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In line with the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) theory, this paper studies the relationship between role ambiguity (Demand) and group cohesion (Resource) to predict job satisfaction. This study was carried out at the same multinational company in Mexico and Spain (N = 537), where blue-collar workers are organized in work groups. It is hypothesized that high levels of role ambiguity are related to low job satisfaction whereas positive high levels of group cohesion are related to high job satisfaction. In addition, it is posited that group cohesion could buffer the relationship between role ambiguity and job satisfaction. Results confirm the JD-R theory with regard to direct effects. Moderating effects have been found in both countries but, contrary to the hypotheses, since these strengthen the negative effect of role ambiguity on job satisfaction. These results are relevant since nowadays, organizations need to deal with increasingly higher levels of ambiguity. The results are also being commented from a cross-cultural research perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to examine the impact of role stress (ambiguity and conflict) on job satisfaction through psychological empowerment in the workplace. Data was collected from 314 workers from southern Portugal (Mage= 35.39, SDage =10.66; 69.75% women) Results indicated that role conflict had a direct effect on job satisfaction, while the impact of role ambiguity on job satisfaction was totally mediated by meaning and self-determination. Psychosocial interventions in companies should focus on prevention of role stress and promotion of psychological empowerment in the workplace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Role ambiguity has a negative effect on job satisfaction and organizational achievements in the education field. The aim of this research was to identify indications of role ambiguity in university teachers who split their time between teaching and research in the field of social and management sciences. The study, performed in a public higher education institution in Mexico, is descriptive and correlational and uses a quantitative approach. A Likert-type scale was used with a Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient of .92 and factor loadings above .60 for all dimensions. The results find the highest levels in the dimensions "Ambiguity in Demands" and "Ambiguity in Standards", mainly caused by a lack of clarity in the guidelines and framework that regulate the assessment of academic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experimental evidence suggests that the frequency with which individuals get feedback information on their investments has an effect on their risk-taking behavior. In particular, when they are given information sufficiently often, they take less risks compared with a situation in which they are informed less frequently. We find that this result still holds when subjects do not know the probabilities of the lotteries they are betting upon. We also detect significant gender effects, in that the frequency with which information is disclosed mostly affects male betting behavior, and that males become more risk-seeking after experiencing a loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The life of knowledge workers in the information age is enwrapped in both uncertainty and opportunity. Organizations have faced ill-defined times by placing their confidence in the ability of digitally literate workers. We explored how social media communicators navigate the role stressors of this recently developed organizational position. The qualitative results revealed communicators struggled with and managed role ambiguity by relying on outside social media experts and Web analytics. A separate international quantitative survey of social communicators showed organizational leadership and social media self-development activities diminished levels of perceived ambiguity. The implications of this research suggest that organizational leaders possess minimal authority and influence in defining the role of knowledge workers. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study aimed to examine the mediating effect of job satisfaction in the relationship between role ambiguity and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) according to the "HEalthy and Resilient Organization" model in two local corporations. A multilevel analysis of mediation was employed to examine the relationship between these variables, controlling for the effect of employee division. The sample consisted of a total of 340 employees. The results indicate that job satisfaction exhibits a total mediation in the relationship between role ambiguity and OCB of public employees. These results indicate the importance of employees' well-being to decrease negative effects of role ambiguity in public employees' performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychological stressors are on the rise in today’s work systems. Work psychologists are trained to analyze and evaluate such stressors and to derive effective interventions to promote healthy working conditions. However, the general working conditions for work psychologists in Austria are deficient. The present study investigates how precarious employment manifests in work psychologists and identifies its impact on the individual level. N = 122 work psychologists participated in an online study. An insecure and undefined occupational profile was found to be associated with an increased experience of role ambiguity, which, in turn, impaired psychological well-being. These results highlight the importance of a clearly defined occupational profile for work psychologists. We discuss viable approaches to improve working conditions for work psychologists in Austria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Morphological ambiguity is an important phenomenon affecting several tasks in Arabic text analysis, indexing and mining. Nevertheless, it has not been well studied in related works. We investigate, in this paper, new approaches to disambiguate the morphological features of non-vocalized Arabic texts, combining statistical classification and linguistic rules. Indeed, we perform unsupervised training from unlabelled vocalized Arabic corpora. Thus, the training and testing sets contain imperfect instances (i.e. having ambiguous attributes and/or classes). To handle imperfect data, we compare two approaches: i) a possibilistic approach allowing to handle imperfection in a direct manner; and, ii) a data transformation-based approach permitting to convert an imperfect dataset to a perfect one, thus allowing to exploit classical classifiers. We also present an approach dealing with unknown (Out-of-Vocabulary) words. The experiments focus mainly on classical texts, which were not sufficiently studied in related works. We show that the possibilistic approach performs better than the transformation-based one. Besides, we report encouraging results as far as i) the role of linguistic rules in enhancing the disambiguation rates; and, ii) the accuracy of our approach for full morphological disambiguation of unknown words. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate the relationships between role stressors (role conflict and role ambiguity), organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and affective commitment among rural nurses. It also explores whether affective commitment mediates the relationship between role stressors and OCB. Survey research method was employed in this study, and data was collected using a questionnaire. Based on random sampling, 301 nurses were. 30 rural health units located in Kotor district, Algharbea governorate, Egypt. To analyze the data descrptive statistics, Hierarchical Multiple Regression Analysis, along with Baron & Kenny's (1986) four-step procedures was also conducted. The results show role stressors have a negative influence on nurses' OCB and affective commitment. Role stressors explained 13.8% of the variation in OCB, while it explained 25.3% of the variation in affective commitment among nurses. Moreover, affective commitment mediated the impact of role stressors on OCB. Conclusions, role stressors predict nurses' OCB and affective commitment. Therefore, Managers of nursing services should consider role stressors and its negative influence on nurses' outcomes in order to improve their performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between role stress, work engagement, and job satisfaction according to the Job Demands-Resources Model. The proposed model hypothesizes that work engagement mediates the relationship between role ambiguity, role conflict, and role overload on one hand, and job satisfaction on the other. To test the model, data was collected from 586 workers from southern Spain (Mage = 37.11, 50% women). Model fit and mediation test were examined using structural equation modeling (path analysis). Results showed that role conflict, role ambiguity, and work engagement were significant predictors of job satisfaction. However, work engagement did not mediate the relationship between role stress and job satisfaction. Role stress as a hindrance job demand would explain the most direct impact on job satisfaction than through work engagement. Implications for practice and future research are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: While the nursing profession has been associated with mental health problems and the research into the antecedents of mental health has steadily grown, the relationship between abusive supervision and mental health issues of anxiety and depression remains largely unknown. Aim: This study aims to examine the relationship between abusive supervision and mental health problems. And we also aim to investigate whether this relationship is moderated by role ambiguity and the patients' lack of reciprocity. Methods: A total of 227 frontline nurses from two public hospitals completed the survey questionnaire. Results: (1) Abusive supervision was positively associated with poor mental health; (2) the positive relationship was moderated by nurses' perceived role ambiguity in such a way that the relationship was stronger when the perceived role ambiguity is high; (3) the positive relationship was moderated by the patients' lack of reciprocity in such a way that the relationship was stronger when patients' lack of reciprocity was high. Conclusions: To conclude, the present study showed that abusive supervision was positively associated with mental health problems of anxiety and depression among samples of Chinese nurses. Findings of this study also highlighted that this relationship was contingent upon perceived role ambiguity and patients' reciprocity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study integrates theories on self-efficacy and the role theory to explore how role ambiguity influences employee task performance through task self-efficacy in a curvilinear manner. Openness to experience was found to moderate such a curvilinear relation. In addition, this study suggests that task self-efficacy mediated the relationship between role ambiguity and task performance, and between the interactive terms and task performance: role ambiguity, openness to experience. This study emphasizes the importance of considering both the positive and negative effects of role ambiguity, so that the maximum level of task self-efficacy, therefore task performance, can be achieved. It also highlights an individual difference variable, i.e., openness to experience, such that it comes to play in deciding levels of task efficacy and performance. Theoretical contributions, practical implications, and future research directions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The role of stressors is recognized as a crucial human resource development and management issue where it can have an overpowering consequence on organizational and employee performance. This study was conducted to discover the relationship between role stressor and family conflict using self-report questionnaires gathered from academic staff of a public comprehensive university in Sarawak, Malaysia. The outcomes of SmartPLS path model revealed three findings: first, role ambiguity significantly correlated with family conflict. Second, role conflict significantly correlated with family conflict. Third, role overload significantly correlated with family conflict. This finding demonstrates that role stressor is recognized in employees' family conflict. The paper provides discussions, implications and conclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With more organizations looking for employees who take initiative and respond creatively to the challenges of the job, engagement becomes important at both individual and organizational levels. Engaged employees are generally more satisfied with their work, committed and effective at work. According to the JDR model (Schaufeli & Bakker, 2004), engagement may be produced by two types of working conditions: job demands (i.e., role stress) and job resources (i.e., self-efficacy). This study examines the role of role stress (role ambiguity and role conflict) and work engagement as antecedents of job satisfaction. A cross sectional study using online questionnaires was conducted. The sample consisted of 312 Portuguese workers. Hierarchical multiple regressions analyses have revealed that job satisfaction was significantly predicted by role conflict and work engagement. Results support JDR model by showing that positive outcomes, such as job satisfaction, may be predicted by motivational process and job demands. On a practical level, JDR model provides a framework for understanding motivating workplaces and engaged and satisfied employees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: According to the Job Demands-Resources (JDR) model, engagement and job satisfaction may be produce by two types of working conditions: job demands (i.e. role stress) and job resources (i.e. self-efficacy). This study examines the role of role stress and work engagement as antecedents of job satisfaction in a sample of Spanish workers. Design/methodology/approach: This study comprised a sample of 435 Spanish workers. A cross sectional study was used to examine the relationship between role stress, work engagement and job satisfaction. Data were gathered based on personal administered questionnaires. Findings and Originality/value: Hierarchical multiple regression models have revealed that job satisfaction was significantly predicted by role stress and work engagement. Results support JDR model by showing that positive outcomes, such as job satisfaction can be predicted by motivational process and job demands. Research limitations/implications: The cross-sectional design cannot evidence of causal relationships. This study relies on self-reports, which might increase the risk of common method variance. Practical implications: On a practical level, the JDR model provides a framework for understanding motivating workplaces and engaged and satisfied employees. Originality/value: The JDR model could be useful in designing strategies for which engaged employees may be advantageous to improving the quality of services, while at the same time increasing employees' job satisfaction and well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Role ambiguity in professional school counseling is an ongoing concern despite recent advances with comprehensive school counseling models. The study outlined in this article examined role diffusion as a possible factor contributing to ongoing role ambiguity in school counseling. Participants included 109 graduate students enrolled in a CACREP-accredited counseling program at a large southwestern university. Findings suggest that providing direct counseling services is the most unique and least diffused role for today's school counselors. The authors also review implications for professional school counselors and recommendations for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the questions of identity and analyzes the discourse of the actor-narrator in the book Three Names for One Growing-up: Pavle, Pal, Paul. The aim of the paper is to discover the mutual causality of the actor's own identity and to define the status of all languages he used in everyday communication, his speech features, and his narrative strategies. The key component of the research is his multi-layered identity, which is revealed on several levels - as the identity of the text, as a national, confessional, and cultural identity of a person, as the identity of proper names as a kind of a "label", and as linguistic identity. The paper shows that this kind of research (interview) contributes to the research of everyday-life history, especially in the very specific circumstances of the spatial and temporal "crossroads". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The question of boundaries for a group providing the basis for the us/them dichotomisation is an important one in the study of ethnicity. This paper discusses this issue on the example of relations between the Serbian community and the community of Serbian Gypsies who live in the villages of Klokot and Mogila in the Vitina enclave, in southeast Kosovo. The Serbian Gypsies are considered from the perspective of their external definition (categorization) emanating from conversations with members of the Serbian community - the focus of our research. In this paper the term Serbian Gypsies is used tentatively, as it is an exonym. The group's own definition for itself is solely Serbs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This research evaluates how reward and punishment behaviors are related to employee satisfaction, and how perceptions of justice mediate the effects of these behaviors. This study also seeks to examine the connection between some boundary conditions and the efficacy of reward and punishment behaviors. Design/Methodology/Approach: Data were collected using questionnaires, and hypotheses were tested using a sample of 3,065 managers from 41 business units. Findings: We found that contingent financial and social rewards were positively related to fairness and satisfaction, whereas punishment behaviors exert a negative influence. Findings reveal that high-trust propensity and low-pay level strengthen the positive influence of rewards on distributive justice, whereas high role ambiguity increases the positive effect of reward behaviors and the negative influence of non-contingent punishment (NCP) on superior satisfaction. Implications: This study provided evidence that using contingent rewards is more effective in promoting positive attitudes at work than using contingent punishments. Our findings add to the evidence that organizations would benefit from encouraging their managers to use financial and social rewards and reducing the administration of NCP among performing employees. Originality/Value: This study represents a first attempt to examine an integrated model of the effects of reward and punishment behaviors. It also contributes to this field by empirically evaluating the impact of individual and situational boundary conditions in the efficacy of these leader behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates how local government support for enforcement and internal agency obstacles explain the enforcement gap in Guangzhou, China. It was found that agency obstacles associated with insufficient resources and job ambiguity, in particular, affect enforcement officials'' perceptions of enforcement difficulty. Somewhat more surprisingly, however, local government support was not found to be a significant predictor of these perceptions. In addition, this study identified four significant relationships associated with specific enforcement actions. First and second, perceptions of enforcement difficulty appear to lead to fewer inspections, but also have a weak positive effect on the frequency of fines levied. Third, poor coordination within the bureau was found to be associated with fewer violations being processed. Fourth, and contrary to expectations, local government support was found to suppress the frequency of inspections while having no significant effect on violations or fines. Overall, these findings suggest that increased local government support for the enforcement of environmental regulation in China may not necessarily lead to more rigorous enforcement, at least if enforcement rigor is measured in terms of inspections, citations and fines. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This study examined the level of school counselor job satisfaction and implementation of comprehensive school counseling programs in secondary schools in one state. Participants included 103 secondary school counselors selected using a cluster sampling of Michigan public school districts. The Job in General (JIG) scale was used to measure their job satisfaction. The Comprehensive School Counseling Implementation Measure (CSCIM), based on the ASCA National Model, was used to measure the level of implementation of a comprehensive school counseling program in their schools. The individual items "administrative support" and "facilitating communication between staff" on the CSCIM showed high correlations with job satisfaction, while moderate to high correlations were found in the items ''serving all students," "clearly written and defined program philosophy," and "creating time for planning and evaluating the program. " This article discusses limitations of this study and suggested directions for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a hermeneutic phenomenological analysis of interview material in which 12 seniors living in Special Housing Accommodation (SHA) facilities reflect on the experience of living in such facilities. Of particular interest in the analysis is living in a SHA as a phenomenon. The finding shows that the phenomenon of lived experience in a SHA seems to be a state of ambiguity regarding one's existence, which is made up of several constituents (elements of meaning). The analysis contributes to the understanding of how the phenomenon of SHA living is coming into existence as a need, due to an individual's failing health; however, the SHA is not considered to be a true home. Accordingly, this has consequences to the subject position for the seniors in that they have to navigate between existing and not existing. The seniors learn to cope with living in the SHA by lowering their expectations of life and existence while the SHA provides the prerequisites for their existence. An implication for promoting care is to support the seniors to enable a full existence of life within SHA living. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study proposes a model explaining how social capital helps ease excessively required mental effort.Background: Although organizational researchers have studied both social capital and cognitive load, no prior research has critically examined the role of social capital in improving individuals’ mental load and effort and consequently enhancing job learning effectiveness.Method: This study surveys participants made up of professionals in Taiwan’s information technology industry. It measures the constructs with the use of 5-point Likert-type scale items modified from existing literature. The survey data were analyzed with the use of structural equation modeling.Results: Job learning effectiveness is negatively influenced by role ambiguity and role conflict. Time pressure has a positive influence on role ambiguity and role conflict. Although the relationship between task complexity and role ambiguity is insignificant, task complexity has a positive influence on role conflict. Because the relationship between network ties and role conflict is insignificant, trust has a negative influence on role conflict. Last, shared vision has a negative influence on role ambiguity.Conclusion: This study provides an example of how social capital can be applied as a useful remedy to ease the negative impact of perceived cognitive load on job learning effectiveness.Application: The negative relationship between shared vision and role ambiguity suggests that a shared vision helps in disseminating organizationally common goals and directions among employees to alleviate individuals’ mental efforts in dealing with the ambiguity of their job roles. A firm’s management team should take actions to decrease role conflict by strengthening trust among employees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to examine the factor structure of the Role Ambiguity Scale (Beauchamp, Bray, Eys, & Carron, 2002) by comparing three alternative models of role ambiguity: a four-factor model with correlated latent factors developed by Beauchamp et al. (2002), a single-factor model, and the hierarchical model proposed by Eys et al. (2003b). The instrument was administered to 179 team handball players, and 125 basketball players in two studies. Confirmatory factor analyses were used to test the three competing measurement models. Results indicated that the four-factor model with correlated latent factors of role ambiguity best represents the responses of Greek players of team handball and basketball to the Role Ambiguity Scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spaces provided by biotechnologies of sex selection are rich with epistemological, ontological, and ethical considerations that speak to broadly held social values and epistemic frameworks. In much of the discourse about sex selection that is not medically indicated, the figure of the 'naturally' conceived (future) child is treated as a problem for parents who want to select the sex of their child. As unknown, that child is ambiguous in terms of sex-'it' is both and neither, and might be the 'wrong' sex. Drawing on Beauvoirean thinking about ambiguity and desire, I cast part of the desire to select the sex of a child as bound to an ethic and epistemology of disambiguation, and urge that the space of being-unknown is one to which each person is entitled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The task of decentralized decision-making involves interaction of a set of local decision-makers, each of which operates under limited sensing capabilities and is thus subjected to ambiguity during the process of decision-making. In our previous work, we made an observation that such ambiguities are of differing gradations and presented a framework for inferencing over various local control decisions of varying ambiguity levels to arrive at a global control decision. A similar inferencing-based framework for the management of ambiguities in the decentralized diagnosis of failures was also reported by us in another earlier work. For each event-trace executed by a system being monitored, each local diagnoser issues its own diagnosis decision (failure or nonfailure or unsure), tagged with a certain ambiguity level (zero being the minimum). A global diagnosis decision is taken to be a "winning" local diagnosis decision, i.e., one with a minimum ambiguity level. The computation of an ambiguity level for a local decision requires an assessment of the self-ambiguities as well as the ambiguities of the others, and an inference based up on such knowledge. This correspondence paper extends this to the decentralized diagnosis of nonfailures which requires that any ambiguity about the nonoccurrence of a failure be resolved within a uniformly bounded delay. It is known that the decentralized diagnosability for failures does not imply that for nonfailures, and vice versa. Further, the following difference exists: Once the ambiguity about the occurrence of a failure is resolved, future observations do not cause the ambiguity to reoccur. The same is not true when one is concerned with the diagnosis for nonfailures, and so, a different formulation is needed. In order to characterize the class of systems for which the ambiguity about the nonoccurrence of a failure can be resolved within a uniformly bounded delay, we introduce the notion of N-inference diagnosability for NonFailures (also called N-inference NF-diagnosability), where the index N represents the maximum ambiguity level of any winning local decision. We present a method for verifying N-inference NF-diagnosability and also establish various properties of it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since its introduction in academia and professional practice during the 1950s, gaming has been linked to simulation. Although both fields have a few important characteristics in common, they are distinct in their form and underlying theories of knowledge and methodology. Nevertheless, in the literature, hybrid terms such as gaming/simulation and simulation gaming are used for practical or pragmatic reasons, causing confusion and ambiguity about the marking out of gaming versus simulation. Generally it is not clear whether authors are talking about games and simulations as artifacts of certain forms or whether they are referring to their functionality. The author elaborates on the confusion about these terms and offers a frame of reference to bring more terminological coherence and reduce methodological ambiguity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the ambiguity of the chain of command during the Utah War of 1857-1858, or the Utah Expedition, and its destructive impact. It investigates the plans and behavior of senior officers of the U.S. army who got involved in the war, and who among them bore the overall command responsibility. It analyzes the role of several figures in the Expedition, including Colonel Albert Sidney Johnston, Lieutenant General Winfield Scott, and Brevet Brigadier General William S. Harney. It also discusses the complications that resulted from the complex command situation in the U.S. Army during the war.

The article focuses on the aspects of the serpent's role and punishment as the key elements of God's beneficial strategy of accommodation, with reference to book "Paradise Lost," by John Milton. It relates that the exegetical challenge of the curse pronounced by the Son on the naturalistic serpent is revealed to be another sign of God's grace, which fuels the evident in the newly created Adam. "Paradise Lost" focuses reader's attention upon the punishment that God inflicts on human beings for original sin and His punitive nature. Moreover, it notes that Milton's presentation of Adam and Eve's education is part of the larger process of accommodation, which acts may meet the needs of mankind by complicating the path to understanding.

Abstract: Despite the acknowledged key role of leaders for psychosocial work environment, few studies focus on how leaders can decrease work-related stress. To gain deeper knowledge of leaders’ perceptions and strategies for dealing with their own and their subordinates’ stress in public human service organisations (HSO), qualitative interviews were made with leaders from hospitals and regional social insurance offices (n=21), and analysed in line with grounded theory method. The leaders handled subordinates’ stress and perceived leadership demands by acting as shock absorber (core category) and used strategies characterised as leading in continuous change whilst maintaining trustworthiness. To cope with their own stress from perceived leadership demands, they tried to sustain their own integrity (core category) by either identifying with or distancing themselves from the leader role. The strategies for dealing with leaders’ own and subordinates’ exposures to stressors was pervaded by perceived leadership demands and are probably influencing each other. Supportive structures and improved communication about everyday dilemmas seem to be needed in order, not just to prevent stress reactions, but to improve the basic conditions for practicing leadership in HSO. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationships among role conflict, role ambiguity, the three dimensions of organizational commitment, and turnover intentions. In addition, the paper tests the moderating effect of perceived alternatives in the relationship between continuance commitment and turnover intentions. Design/methodology/approach - The research was a cross-sectional study of employees in the public sector in St Lucia. In total, 226 usable questionnaires were obtained. Hierarchical regression analyses were used to test the hypotheses. Findings - It was found that role ambiguity and conflict were negatively associated with affective and normative commitment. Also, there were negative relationships between the three dimensions of organizational commitment and turnover intentions. There was no significant relationship between employees' role stressors and their continuance commitment. Employees with continuance commitment develop turnover cognitions when alternative jobs are available. Research limitations/implications - More research using data from the public sector in developing countries is advocated. Studies should incorporate three dimensions of organizational commitment and also assess pay satisfaction. Moderators that might change employees' normative and affective commitment should be explored. Practical implications - It is suggested that the sector should reduce role stressors to enhance employees' commitment. Employees should be offered competitive salaries to minimize turnover of employees with affective and normative commitment. This will serve to minimize retention of mainly employees with high continuance commitment. Originality/value - This is one of the few studies that have examined organizational commitment in the public sector using data from a developing country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Whenever professionals have multiple role obligations in the workplace, they face potential professional role complexities. Objective: To examine whether certified athletic trainers (ATs) employed at the collegiate level experienced professional role complexities, and if so, what effect those complexities had upon their job satisfaction and intent to leave a current position or the profession. Design: Survey. Setting: We used Internet survey methods to gather information from 1000 randomly selected collegiate ATs regarding the amount of stress they felt due to role complexities. Patients or Other Participants: We obtained a random sample of e-mail addresses for 1000 collegiate ATs in the United States and contacted these individuals with an invitation to participate. A total of 348 usable responses were received, for a 36% response rate. Main Outcome Measure(s): The role complexity aspect of the survey consisted of 45 questions addressing role ambiguity, role overload, role incongruity, role incompetence, and role conflict. The job satisfaction portion consisted of global questions regarding overall job satisfaction and intent to leave the job or profession. Results: A total of 38% of respondents experienced moderate to high stress levels from role overload, whereas 23% and 22% had moderate to high levels of stress from role ambiguity and role conflict, respectively. Clinicians and joint appointees who reported moderate to high levels of stress from role complexity issues had lower job satisfaction and more frequent thoughts of leaving than did their faculty counterparts. Conclusions: The majority of collegiate ATs experienced low levels of professional role complexities and were relatively satisfied with their jobs. However, collegiate ATs began to experience less job satisfaction and more thoughts of leaving when moderate to high stress levels occurred due to role ambiguity, overload, incongruity, incompetence, and conflict. Lessening the stress due to role complexities is critical to positive employment experiences for ATs employed in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the contingent nature of Zionist/Israeli understandings of Iranian Jewry, a particularly important "Oriental" (Mizrahi) group that has not yet received the attention it deserves in critical scholarship. Central to the Zionist project has been a juxtaposition of the opposition between East and West, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, between Exile and Land of Israel. These oppositions can be read as extreme expressions of the desire to assimiliate the Jews into the Western narrative of enlightenment and redemption. When applied to Iranian Jews, however, these oppositions become replete with tensions and ambiguities. First I show how, during the first three decades of the state of Israel, Israelis situated the Shah's modernization programs as part of the "West", thereby removing Iranian Jewry from an "exilic" space. I then explore how the 1979 Iranian revolution further challenged these axiomatic oppositions. Iranian Jews living in Israel posed a serious challenge to Zionism's axiomatic assumptions. Nurturing a distinct ethnic (Mizrahi) identity within the Jewish state, they resisted the majoritarian and homogenizing tendencies of Israeli hegemony and demonstrated the fractured nature of Jewish identities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]